


kind hearted

by Beeee



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Future Fic, Healthy Relationships, Post-Kingdom Hearts III
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 14:16:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18236015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beeee/pseuds/Beeee
Summary: Riku and Ventus are on a mission to check out how Halloween Town is doing. They bond. They laugh. They have fun. But Riku is confronted with feelings he'd been repressing just fine. Turns out Santa does exist. Great.





	kind hearted

**Author's Note:**

> So I've had to take a leave of absence from work due to a painful health issue that's going to take a while to fix. This means I have nothing to occupy my mind but play video games and write. This is the first of a series I think. I have a few ideas about pairing up different characters. I think there's some cute dynamics to be had. I have this whole idea of the wielders trying to keep everything in order and eventually all being Masters together and training new wielders. I think this is piece of that. I'll tag it eventually if it is. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!

“You look menacing.” Ventus teased as he looked back at Riku. 

“This is ridiculous.” Riku groaned. He pulled his hair from where it had tangled into his wing. (He needed a haircut again. He’d have to beg Kairi.) The heavy black wings felt strange on his back. The horns that felt attached to his skull should have also been annoying but they felt like they’d always been there. It must be the magic.

“World order and all that.” Ven grinned at him and Riku smiled back. “You look like a Dark Fairy.”

“A Dark Fairy? But aren’t fairies small?” (Sometimes Riku felt like a moron for asking certain questions.) 

“There are different kinds of fairies. The good fairies that help out Yen Sid and Tinkerbell and Maleficent. Which is funny because your horns look like hers.” Ven was walking through the forest and didn’t see Riku flinch at that. He wanted nothing to do with that woman. “But I’m sure you look way better in a dress.”

“I forget how much more you’ve traveled.” Riku commented ignoring the jab. Ven was a very happy guy and he tended to love teasing Riku and Roxas. (Mainly because he could actually get a rise out of them.) Riku usually gave as good as he got. It took him a while to get used to having new friends and them being in his space and his heart.

“Eh, I’m older. Soooo old that I don’t know how old I am.” Ven turned to grin at him. Riku shook his head with a smile. Ven was a little hard to take serious in his witch get-up. His skin was greenish and his hair was darker. He was in orange and black stripped leggings and a long flowy black shirt with sleeves that hid his hands. 

“You don’t look it.” Ven fanned himself playfully and Riku winked at him.

“You charmer!” Ven burst out laughing as he slid down the hill that led out of the forest. Ven was incapable of calmly walking anywhere. “I’ll steal you from Sora if you keep that up.”

“Not a chance.” Riku slid down next to him. The teasing about his relationship with Sora had taken even longer to get used to but Riku got on with Ven really well so he’d learned to roll with it. 

“What a sap.” Ven grinned and walked through the graveyard. “So, who are we here to see?”

“Jack Skellington. He’s the spirit of Halloween. According to Sora anyway. He’s the one who would know if any heartless, unversed or nobodies have been around here.”

“You would think a place like this would invite nightmares.” Ven moved his hand to accentuate his words but with the sleeves hanging over his hands it lost its appeal and he let his hands fall to his side. 

“Huh. You would think.”

“If it was nightmares, you could just eat them.” Ven said it so casually as he walked to the gates at the entrance of the town that Riku almost didn’t catch it.

“What?” Riku jogged to catch up. 

“I remember you in Sora’s heart. It’s one of the things that’s really clear. I was awed by how much you loved him.” Ven smiled. “I was glad that Sora had someone like you to watch over him. That aside, you were a Dream Eater when you went in to save him, weren’t you?”

“Yeah.” Riku looked away in hopes that Ven wouldn’t see his blush because he’d never hear the end of it. “It wasn’t a conscious choice.”

“That’s because it was the obvious choice. Sora was in danger and you needed to save him no matter what. It’s sweet.” Ven poked him but Riku refused to look at him. “Dream Eaters are cute and need a lot of affection. So not too far from you.” 

“I do not need a lot of affection.” Riku pouted. Ven laughed and reached up to pet Riku. He managed to run a hand through his hair that Riku leaned into instinctively. “Please don’t embarrass me like this.” 

“There’s nothing embarrassing about you being a damn good friend.” Ven smiled at him but Riku crossed his arms. “But let me know if you need any petting.”

“Let me know if you need a boost.” 

“Ouch.” Ven placed a hand over his heart and Riku walked past him into the town. “So cold, Riri.”

“Ugh, call me an asshole but not Riri.”

“Blame, Lea.” 

“Oh, I do. I’ll get him back for it.”

Ven and Riku found Jack easily enough once they asked. The group of witches swooned at the sight of Ventus. Riku raised an eyebrow as the older wielder charmed the witches into giving up Jack’s exact location. To Riku, Ven would always be like an older brother but to others, Ven was a perfect mixture of handsome and charming. Just like Sora. Roxas needed to warm up a bit but once he was comfortable he was full on charm. Riku rolled his eyes as Ven grinned up at him. He’d grown a few inches the past couple of years…but so had Riku. Roxas and Sora had grown too but Ven was a bit taller than the other two. Ven said it was because he deserved the height more. ( Asshole.)

“Those horns make you even more of a looming ghost than usual.” Ven was looking at him as they walked. Riku raised a silent eyebrow. “What? You do. You’re always so serious and so tall and with your hair, you can be intimidating.”

“I don’t try to be.” Riku couldn’t help but chuckle. 

They found the tall skeleton they were looking for in the town hall. He was much taller than Riku had imagined. Talk about intimidating but the guy was so genuinely kind and innocent that Riku could see why Sora had befriended him.

“You’re friends of Sora?” The skeleton blinked curiously.

“Yup! We came on his behalf to make sure your wor-er town was monster free…the unwanted kind that is.” Ven explained. (For someone who preached world order, he was constantly almost dropping the ball.)

“He also wants to make sure, uh, um, Santa Claus is alright too.” Riku couldn’t quite believe he’d put that into a sentence. 

“Well, that’s very nice of him. I haven’t seen any little shadows about. It’s been about a year that they’ve been completely gone. There have been others that pop up but they tend to be harmless here. They’re actually adorable.” Jack’s face lit up with glee as he spoke. “Sandy Claws doesn’t care much for them so you should go check with him.”

Ven and Riku looked at each other. Harmless, adorable creatures? The first thing that popped into Riku’s head was Dream Eaters. Would that mean this world was asleep? It was like any other world Riku had visited. They’d gotten here on the gummi ship so…

“Alright. Stop thinking. Let’s go check it out.” Ven derailed his thoughts. They thanked Jack and went back into town in search of the creatures. Jack had told him they appeared more at night. It left the two wielders with time to kill. They explored the small town and questioned some locals. Apparently, they were all fond of the creatures that appeared around town. Some had even tried to keep them as pets. Ven dodged the witches from earlier who were trying to get him to drink something.

“I bet it’s a love potion.” Riku teased. “It’s time to settle down, Ven. You’ve got three offers.”

Ven glared, “Ha, ha! So funny.”

“I try but not as hard as they do.” 

“Jerk.” Ven rolled his eyes and Riku laughed. They were strolling through the pumpkin patch when one of the creatures popped up. 

“Looks like you get a snack after all.” Riku would have smacked Ven if he was a few inches coser. The creatures that had been living in the town were in fact Nightmares. (Fantastic!)

“Getting old, Ven.”

“I thought you said I looked young.” Ven turned to look at him and the Nightmare pounced at him. Riku used Aero to blow the creature away. “It attacked me!”

“Because we have dreams!” Riku swiped at a rather larger one that launched at him. “It makes sense that everyone else here has nightmares because they’re the stuff of nightmares. They accept the world they live in.”

“Makes complete sense so let’s go because they’re attacking us. I don’t see why we have to get involved if the people here are happy.” 

“Yup, sure, let’s discuss this elsewhere.” Riku eyed the Nightmare that had appeared nervously. Ven followed his gaze to the thing that was now looming over the others.

“What is that? A bird?” Ven cocked his head to his side but Riku wasted no time in tugging him away towards the forest. 

“It’s a Spellican and I’d rather not.” (He’s rather stab himself with a spoon actually.)

“Rather not?” Ven turned to question him further but the Spellican let out a screech and blasted them with fire. Ven pushed Riku out of the way and got hit. At that point, Riku made an executive decision and threw Ven over his shoulder and booked it into the forest. 

“It’s reassuring to know that your ‘no man left behind’ attitude is actually something you live by.” Ven was in pain but Riku couldn’t put him down until they were far away enough that the giant Nightmare would leave them alone. “A real knight in shining armor. This trip has been all kinds of educational.”

“We could have taken them but there was no point in fighting.” Riku straightened up and looked around. They weren’t too far from the gummi ship. There were some weird trees in a half circle around them. 

“It’s important to know when not to fight.” Ven flinched as Riku put him down. He helped Ven sit and called his keyblade out to heal the older wielder. “Thanks. That was starting to really hurt.”

“You’re welcome.” Riku looked over to the weird trees again. He walked up to the one that had a door shaped like a Christmas tree. “I’ve seen a lot of weird things since I left my islands but if we open this door and Santa Claus somehow lives on the other side of it, I think it might take the cake.”

“Aw you believe in Santa Claus?” Ven came to stand next to him. Riku looked at him and Ven chuckled. “Well, you should he’s real.”

“I told Sora when we were kids that he wasn’t. I ruined his Christmas. Just one more thing I was wrong about.” Riku groaned childishly. Ven rolled his eyes and reached forward to open the door.

“You should know Sora told all of us that if you were acting all guilt-ridden again we’re supposed to smack you.” 

“That explains why Roxas smacked me last week when we were in Agrabah. I can never tell with him.” Riku sighed. (He’d been caught off-guard when the younger blonde had smacked him hard across the head as he walked by talking to Princess Jasmine.) “Thank you for not hitting me.”

“You’re welcome. You save my life, I don’t smack you.” Ven grinned and opened the door. They felt the chill and Riku could smell snow and pastries. They looked at each other and stepped through the door. It was a steep fall.

Christmas for him had never been snowy but this is what it had looked like in picture books. He looked over at Ven who now looked like what he imagined an Elf looked like. He even had bells on his shoes. Riku looked down at himself and saw that his outfit had changed from the black leather vest and pants into a type of soldier outfit that was also black. He was thankful for sleeves as the wind blew again.

“You’re a nutcracker.” Ven pointed out as he checked out his own outfit. “I’m an elf! Real funny.”

Riku laughed at that as he stepped forward towards the sign that read Christmas Town. The black boots were great for the snow but by the time they’d gotten to the workshop, Riku was tired of the heavy boots and the heavy Ven that had jumped on his back at some point because he was tired and his shoes were wet. 

Ven jumped off of his back and unto the step leading to a bright red door. He knocked and Riku was suddenly nervous. What if Santa hated him for not believing in him and dragging Sora, the nicest kid he’d ever known, into his disbelief too? (Not to mention that plunging your home into Darkness definitely put you on the naughty list forever, right?)

“Are you nervous about meeting Santa?” Ven’s smile was soft. The kind he reserved just for his friends. Riku tried to put on a brave face but failed. (Hiding his feelings was something that just couldn’t happen around his friends now.) Ven reached over and took his hand. “You are a good person. You’ve done far greater things than bad things, okay?”

“Ven…”

Ven squeezed his hand and glared, “Okay?”

“Alright, okay. Fine.” Riku gave in because Ven was a force to be reckoned with. 

The door opened and they were face to face with the legendary Santa Claus. Riku felt small. (Which he hadn’t felt since he’d had to look up to Sora sleeping in his pod for a year.) Here was a man from his childhood that had represented a more innocent and carefree time. He was 19 years old now but suddenly he felt like the bratty six year old that made his friend cry when he told him Santa didn’t exist just because he’d been jealous of Sora liking something more than him.

“Riku. Ventus. Very nice to see you.” Santa jiggled as he talked. He had a warm smile on his face and Riku didn’t feel worthy of it.

“Hey, Santa!” Ven greeted cheerily and all but pinched Riku so he’d react.

“Santa!” Riku shouted for some unknown reason. (If Ven wasn’t still holding his hand, he’d be launching himself into the sun.) “I mean, I’m sorry, uh hello.”

Santa chuckled, like he was used to this, “Yes, hello. How can I help you boys?” 

“We’re just here to see if you’re having any trouble with strange creatures.” Thankfully, Ven took over the talking because Riku couldn’t stop thinking about how he’d just yelled at Santa Claus. 

“Ah, yes. There are dark creatures that visit at night but there are kind creatures that come as well. They seem to spook the dark ones away.” 

“Interesting.” Ven looked at Riku for input but Riku was being held to the spot by Ven’s grip. “Looks like the Dream Eaters are helping out the residents here to keep Nightmares away.”

“Mmm.” Riku nodded. 

“Oookay. Well, looks like you don’t need help from us but we should report this back so we have to be on our way.”

“Why don’t you boys come in for cookies and milk before you head on your way again?” Santa offered with a smile. 

“Sure. Maybe it’ll snap Riku out of this trance.” Riku glared at Ven but let himself be pulled into the cottage. They both had to duck to get in through the door. 

It wasn’t until they were sitting at the tiny table drinking hot cups of cocoa that Riku relaxed. He was expecting to be scolded by the jolly man at any moment. Ven kept throwing looks at him like he was silently getting him to chill out. He was happy he wasn’t with Roxas who would most likely have smacked him by now. 

“Perhaps if you say what’s on your mind, you will find peace.” Santa broke Riku out of his thoughts. (This whole thing was so weird. Santa was sitting next to him.)

“I don’t really know what to say.” Riku looked down at his lap. He hated feeling like a child. “Except I hope that Sora didn’t end up on the Naughty list because of me.”

“A boy as good and kind as Sora could never lose his way. Not even because his best friend was jealous.” Riku risked a look to the old man and expected a frown but found a smile instead. “I think you need to understand that you were far too young to know that what you were doing would be so terrible. Not to mention that there are many influences that lead you astray. Again, you were just a boy.” Riku could feel himself tearing up as Santa spoke to him. “I’m not talking about telling Sora I wasn’t real. Eventually, someone else would.”

All Riku could do was choke out a, “Thank you.” He wiped at his eyes and smiled at the kind old man. There were times when he slipped back into the dangerous mindset that he deserved anything bad that happened to him. It was getting better but there were days darker than others and certain things or people that reminded him of what he’d done. But thankfully, he was surrounded by loving people who reminded him that he deserved forgiveness and that there was far more good in this world than bad. 

They left Santa’s house with enough cookies for everyone and along with a promise to visit again soon. Ven had climbed up on him again before they’d made it more than five steps. Riku chuckled and readjusted so he could hold the cookies and the other 19-year-old. It was comforting having the other so close. Riku would never admit it but after spending so much time alone in the Darkness, he’d become a little touch starved and it had been hard to shake off. His friends were overly touchy so that fed into it a bit more. Then all the others had come along and Riku had gotten used to the affection they dished out. 

Out of all his new friends, Ven had to be the one Riku was closest too. With Terra and Aqua, he had an immense respect. With Axel, Roxas, and Xion, he had to jump over a couple of hurdles before he was allowed to eat ice cream with them on the clock tower. They were all good and happy with each other. But Ven and Riku were like long lost best friends and they always had a good time when they went on missions together. Riku happily sighed at the thought of how lucky he was to have so many great people in his life. 

“What are you thinking?” Ven tapped his head to get his attention. “Not anything bad, I hope.”

“No. Just how heavy you are.” That earned him a flick to his ear so Riku dropped him into the snow. 

“Hey!” Ven came after him but Riku ran off in the direction of the trees. “Riku! Curse you and your impossibly long legs!” 

Ven was shaking when they got back to the Gummi ship. Riku took pity on him and covered him in a blanket and dropped a kiss to the top of the elder’s head without thinking about it. 

“You can be cute all you want, I don’t forgive you.” Ven swiped at him but couldn’t shake the smile from his face. 

Riku sat in the pilot’s chair and turned it around to face Ven, “So let’s recap here. The Nightmares have come here but they’re harmless in Halloween Town and are chased away by good Dream Eaters in Christmas Town. We should go visit the other doors and see how they’re doing. They’re very interconnected.”

“It’s interesting that they can live with it rather peacefully.” Ven had curled into himself in the chair. (Riku felt a little bad for throwing him in the snow. Just a little bit.) “I would assume the other towns are much the same. A lot of the worlds’ positivity comes from this world. These are holidays a lot of worlds celebrate and have for a very long time. It makes sense that there are Dreams and Nightmares here. I think this is something we should report back to Master Yen Sid but there’s not much we can do here but visiting every once in a while will probably be a good idea.”

“Agreed.” Riku was about to turn around to drive again when Ven stood up. He walked towards him and stopped arm’s length away. Riku raised an eyebrow in question but Ven placed a hand on his head and smiled.

“Riku, you are an amazingly kind and good person. You are full of light and more than worthy of every good thing that comes your way. I know you see it. I know you want to believe it. I don’t remember much from my time in Sora’s heart but I do feel like I watched you all grow up. It’s why I’m a little over-protective over you guys. I just want you to know how proud I am of you. Not that it matters but cut yourself some slack, okay?” Ven grinned and ruffled his hair but before Riku could say anything else, Ven pressed a kiss to his forehead. 

“Of course, it matters. I never thought much of anybody else outside of Kairi and Sora. It was just the three of us for so long that it was hard for me to let anyone else in. I think it’s part of the reason I held on to this guilt for so long. I only had my two friends, Ven, and I hurt them. I know, I know, I have to let go and in my own way, I do. We were all victims of Xehanort and his need for power but it’s taken this long to understand that just because it was my body and heart that did terrible things, I would have…I would have never traded my friends for anything in the world.” Riku felt ridiculous as the tears finally escaped his eyes. He couldn’t be this weak with Sora or Kairi. He’d always been the strong one. He knew it was stupid but how do you shake off a thought so deep in your psyche that it might as well be tattooed on his heart. “It kills me that someone used me to hurt the people I loved most.”

“I know.” Ven pulled Riku into his chest and held him tight. “It’s okay to be angry and hurt but don’t let it overwhelm you. You have so many friends who love you and want you to be happy. What I want more than anything at this very moment is that you let Xehanort stop hurting you like this. That is a choice you can make. To let go means to start healing. You haven’t let go, you’ve simply been pushing it aside and burying it but that only works for so long before it starts pulling you down again. This isn’t forgiveness for him, it’s happiness for you.”

Riku clinged to Ven and let himself cry. He’d let himself be vulnerable for just a moment. Why had this trip been so emotionally overwhelming? He’d been fine for a long time now. No more pity fests or sleepless nights. God, what was he gonna tell Sora? Riku pulled back and Ven squeezed him one last time before pulling away completely. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened there.” Riku wiped at his eyes but Ven shook his head. 

“Stop apologizing. I’m glad you let some of that out. Do you feel better?” Ven sat back down in his chair. 

“I do. I don’t remember the last time I cried.” Riku pulled his hair back into a tie. His eyes were red and they hurt but he really did feel better. “I guess we should get home.”

“We could…or we could go get some ice cream and mess with Roxas.” Ven wiggled his eyebrows and Riku let out a laugh. (Roxas always hated the hundreds of questions he got in Twilight Town about Ven.) 

“Sounds good.” Riku grinned and turned around to start up the ship and head to Twilight Town.

Riku’s Gummiphone vibrated so Riku checked it only to see a text from Ven. 

It was a picture of them from Christmas Town. It was Riku as he carried Ven through the snow and there was a small soft smile on his face as Ven grinned at the camera behind his back.

There were words with the picture, “You are the best friend anyone could ask for.”

Riku smiled because for once, he believed it.


End file.
